The Splintered Journey
by Tsath
Summary: A handful of heroes make their struggle through Tyria in the rise of the Elder Dragons. A Human and a Charr find themselves in a strange predicament. An Asura is exiled. A Sylvari all alone. A Norn couple hunting for glory. Between swordplay and magic, to politics and romance, each player must act their part in The Splintered Journey. Contains graphic material.
1. Prologue

_** . . .**_

_Hi, I'm Tsath, and I'd like to just take a quick moment to remind you to review chapters, subscribe if you like, and send this around to any friends that you think might enjoy it! Doing so helps keep the story alive, and helps me churn out more content that will please you, dear reader!_  
_P.S. - I do not own Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2, or ArenaNet, only my words. Thanks! Enjoy._

Prologue

Through two curtains of darkness, thin moonlight seeped in. The stars danced and swirled in the black sky, thousands of brilliant, miniscule lanterns quivering in the ink of night. The moon hovered ominously in the air, the divine witness to what atrocities lay below. She lay bloodied and broken in the open valley, her eyes fluttering into consciousness.  
The gentle breeze floated through the grass of Ascalon, and she lay there, flayed and tormented, the long grass beneath her turning crimson. She looked upon the night sky as she became more awake, and put a hand to her side. She couldn't feel it. It was cold. It was numb. She rolled over onto her stomach and let out a yelp as pain surged from her dripping wound.  
The dragon was here. She fixed her eyes upon the inky black horizon, her failing eyesight peering only into the darkness. She tried to stand, placing one blood-soaked hand on the ground, dirt clinging to the hot liquid. An Elder Dragon really was here. Right here... right now.  
Ragged gasps of breath tore their way from her lips, desperate to fill her bloodied body with air. She turned her head from the horizon over to the massive fortress that lay beside her. The Ebonhawke... One of the last bastions of humanity. Once, humans stretched across the entirety of Tyria. From the western depths of the Maguuma Jungles to the eastern valleys of Ascalon, humanity thrived in the face of danger. Humanity's days were dwindling from their ardent blaze... to ancient coal.  
She made her way over to a giant creature, standing at eight feet at the hackles. The creature was humanoid, but that was where the differences ended. It was covered in a thick pelt of fur and horns that resembled thin flames, a muscular and powerful frame lying beneath. A feline face was twisted with brutality, and large fangs jutted from its maw. She tried to help the creature to its feet. Gasping at one muscular arm, she hoisted with all her strength. The creature grunted as it pulled itself to its feet and spat on the ground.

"I need no help from you. I am _charr_." The charr growled as he grabbed his large axe-rifle and made for the broken keep. The Ebon Vanguard needed all the help they could get. All the help against...

With a sound that bludgeoned the air for miles, she whipped her head to the midnight horizon. There was a storm cloud... But not like the storm cloud she had seen, nor anyone in all of the wondrous corners of Tyria. Its wings blocked out the sky. Wings that stretched for miles... Wings that covered the horizon. The cloud flashed with lightning the color of blood.  
It stirred, the dark miasma twisting around some gigantic, unseen shape. One's eye simply refused to focus upon it, the darkness shifting and weaving in and out of the black night. Perhaps there was a talon, or a maw that could devour a village in one bite. One could've sworn they saw a tail that stretched longer than rivers, or a sea of crystalline spines...  
But one thing was clear, despite the dark cloud's illusion. Two voracious red eyes gleamed from the shadow, each the size of trees. This was no midnight storm. This was no mere fantasy to frighten children, no illusion or hallucination. This was one of the Elder Dragons. Kralkatorrik.  
Her mouth gaped at the monstrosity, terror filling her breast. She trembled at the darkness, a devourer of the world. With another beat of its cloud-covered wings, shockwaves descended upon the ground and battered the keep under siege. The wretched force of wind shook the ground and tore grass from the field, the blast heading towards her.  
She was buffeted aside, thrown like a plaything. After her breathless soar of a dozen feet, she violently crashed against the ground with a yelp. The hard earth impacted against her wound and her head followed suit. There was the snapping of ribs and the crack of a skull. For a moment, she thought she heard the whispers of Grenth calling to her. But she yet lived... barely.  
Filled with terror, filled with fear, and filled with blood, she looked up into the storm of darkness. Like a crystalline formation, golden light began to form in the storm, right under the eyes that greedily surveyed the battlefield. With a sound that ripped apart eardrums, the light thrusted forwards and scorched the earth. All that was left was a black, ugly, crystalline scar. The devouring light poured over Ebonhawke, making its way to her. With her last conscious thought, she held up her hand, as if she had the power to stop such a force of greed and gluttony.

With horrible speed, the light washed over her.


	2. I, Two Monsters

Act I  
Chapter 1  
Two Monsters

"Riege!" A charr with two long, curved horns called out.  
"What is it, Sir?" She retaliated to her scout.  
"Get your tail over here and stay low!" Kalc Baneshot returned his a throaty growl, crouching in a thick patch of shrubbery. Riege skulked her way over, her black leather armor flexing as she moved.  
"Look. Black metal." Kalc thrust a claw into the gully. Ever so slightly, black metal shimmered in the forest rays of dawn. A smile pressed its way onto Riege's muzzle, and she retreated from the shrubbery. Kalc turned his head to his sister-in-arms and blinked his one white eye. "Think it's Vanguard?"He asked, his own smile betraying his question.  
"I know it's Vanguard. Damn humans." Riege began to move into the forest, her dewclaws softly padding upon the fallen leaves. "I'll wake the warband," she called back to him. He offered her a nod as he returned his one good eye to watching. It was still one of his talents, even if he only had one eye left.  
Riege began to briskly move through the autumn woods, her long legs silently thundering upon the earth. Her fur was the same color of the grass of her homeland, the hue of flame-colored rust. That fur was rather fine for a Blood Legion soldier, and her four horns were short and curved. Among her own people, the Charr, Riege was considered to be somewhat elegant.  
Humans, however, would always see her as a monster. A mangy animal, standing seven feet off the ground, a maw sharp enough to rend the flesh of any human and a musculature to rip them apart. A Charr... an aggressor... But she wanted them to think that. It only meant they were all the more scared when Blood Legion tore into their front lines.  
Riege's run slowed as she approached the camp of her warband, growling.  
"Wake up, cubs! This isn't time for your fahrar naps! Ebon Vanguard are on the move," she shouted to her brothers and sisters, kicking earth onto the embers of the fire pit. The tents stirred and within moments produced a dozen charr warriors, clad in the same black combat leathers Riege wore. They sheathed and checked swords, axes, shields, and bows. The Bane Warband was ready at a moment's notice.  
"Vanguard? I thought we were chasing that gladium," One warrior called out, his thick black mane falling in cascades over his face.  
"Doesn't matter! I'll take a good fight with some humans over chasing an exile." Another soldier with horns like a bull and a braided mane interjected. She brandished her massive greatsword.  
"That gladium has priceless strategic information!" The first warrior stamped his dewclaws on the ground. "Unless you'd risk the mission for some scrap with humans, Kalla!"  
Kalla Baneblade growled, slamming the tip of her gigantic weapon into the hard earth. She snapped, "Shut up, Howl! The gladium is an Ash Legion defector and a Flame Legion reject! He's probably dead in some Vanguard or ogre's trap!"  
Riege gritted her fangs and cut the air with a slash of her hand. Before Howl Banetail could make a response, she roared, "Enough! I am second in command, and make the decisions! Save your anger for the humans." Riege looked about. Howl grunted in affirmation and Kalla growled through her teeth. An edged look from her superior officer made Kalla fall in.  
"Yes, boss!" Kalla echoed dutifully as she sheathed her weapon.  
"Good. We all have fought humans before, and we know that Vanguard this far away from Ebonhawke are up to no good. Let's get closer before we engage. Rigg," Riege called, looking to a soldier with a broken horn.  
"Yes, sir?" Rigg Baneblood saluted his superior.  
"Take the warband down by the stream, I'll check back with Kalc. Wait for the standard signals before taking action," Riege spoke as she looked towards Kalla, which was too busy glaring at Howl to notice.  
"Yes, sir!" Rigg waved his arm and began to tread towards the edge of the forest, the Bane Warband following him. Riege turned around and began to make her way back to Kalc. She felt Kalla's gaze on her back. She would be trouble, that one.  
Kalc still lay in the shrubbery, unmoving. A large and exquisite rifle lay at his side, fully loaded. He merely held up a hand for silence and Riege complied. She set herself beside the corn-gold fur of her commander. Legionnaire Kalc Baneshot whispered to Riege, his muzzle barely moving.  
"Looks to be only a small squad. Traveling light, but they're too far from Ebonhawke for anything trivial..." Kalc stared at something far in the distance for a moment before turning his good eye to Riege. "The Warband...?"  
"Rigg is taking them to an ambush point by the northern stream. They're awaiting the horn," Riege spoke swiftly to her commander. She paused. "Sir..."  
Kalc blinked. "What is it?" He asked, intrigued. Riege hardly gave much thought in the field to things other than combat. She was an invaluable right hand.  
"Could they be after our quarry?" Riege asked, her green eyes unwavering. The question _almost _caught Kalc by surprise.  
"Could be. They certainly appear equipped to track a lone and desperate charr through the mountains..." Kalc spoke dismissively as he looked back out of his perch. Riege almost opened her mouth again, but she sensed orders were coming.  
"Regardless," Kalc spoke again, "Ebon Vanguard are rough for any charr they cross. If we take them out it's one less obstacle and one less squad reporting. On my signal," He spoke as he drew a hollowed-out warhorn from his belt.  
Riege nodded and left silently to return to her warband. About half the way to the ambush point, a booming call ripped through the air. A cacophony of leaves and birds echoed the warhorn... The signal to attack had been given.

It was a very dull and boring day in the woods for Elanor Fox, but that was all about to change in a moment's notice.

Elanor yawned as she walked behind the silent march of Ebon Vanguard. This trek was _almost_ fascinatingly dull. She had never before travelled with the men in black armor, and she had decided then that she never wanted to again... She tried walking beside Antoni, but he gave no response. She tried whispering to Benson, but he waved her for silence.  
She let out an _extremely_ quiet sigh, any louder and perhaps Mac would turn around and cuff her. By Balthazar, this trip was boring. The Ebon Vanguard were so mind-numbingly intense, so boringly focused... This trek was not at all what Elanor thought it would be like. The daily march was colder than the nights by the fire and the rations tasted far more interesting than any of the personalities surrounding her.  
She never should've volunteered for this operation. But how could she have known? Going on a dangerous mission with a squad of the Ebon Vanguard, deep into charr territory... It sounded romantic.  
"This isn't some _game_, woman!" Jonathan had shouted at her, quietly, nights earlier. "Our lives are in danger every second we spend in charr lands."  
"Aw, but that's what makes it fun!" Elanor said with a wink, clutching her canteen.  
"If we all die out here, the mission is a failure, we have to be cautious," Hinter had scolded her, snatching her canteen.  
"Hey!" Elanor shouted a bit too loudly, "Give that back!"  
"...And no more drinking!" Hinter gave a brief sniff before capping the canteen. "Strong stuff..." He remarked emptily.  
And there was Elanor. Traveling with a paranoid bunch of soldiers, on some secret mission only three out of the handful of soldiers knew about, and she was out of her one last source of fun. Her brain was slowly ticking to a halt out of the sheer lack of interest. Her feet mechanically marched on the soft ground. At least if she was able to march in the stream the cold water would give her something to complain about. Dwayna, Balthazar, Melandru, Lyssa, Grenth, Kormir... By the Six Gods this was boring!  
Just at that moment, the rounded call of a charr warhorn bludgeoned through the monotony and Elanor's face lit up like sunrise. An overeager smile raced across her face and she wrapped her hands tightly around her walking stick. The Ebon Vanguard immediately drew their weapons of choice, blades and bows slid from their covers, silent as death. There was utter quiet. The air was still, but palpable with tensity. The only sound was the slow clatter of the stream...

Riege sprinted through the soft ground and moss, she tried to make it to the ambush point in time. She knew her warband. She knew humans. The Vanguard would spring their trap any second now, and they would do so without her... That could be a fatal mistake. She had to get to them in time. She had to make it.

The Ebon Vanguard lay still in their cover beside the stream. Their eyes frantically searched for their attackers in all directions. Weston shot a look of confusion to Antoni. Elise trained her bow on shadows, searching for the enemy. Elanor mere crouched amidst them, a grin plastered to her face.  
"Where are they!" Elise raged in a hushed voice, her eyes flicked across the terrain beneath her helmet.

Lieutenant Bernard was a somewhat interesting officer. It was only now that he spoke for the first time all mission. His voice came out ragged and worn, "Elise, calm down. We have to be ready with clear heads. This is just part of the mind games charr play." Bernard was more boring than Elanor could've ever imagined.

Rigg Baneblood tapped his dewclaws impatiently behind a large collection of boulders on the other side of the stream. They had the high ground, but he refused to charge without Riege.  
"What's taking so long?" Kalla growled softly.  
"Would you shut it already, cub?" Haggaz Banesoul shoved Kalla, their metal pauldrons clinking...

An arrow whistled through the air, thrusting itself into a tree above some rocks.

"Elise!" Mac looked to the jumpy woman who's bow had fired the arrow.  
"Sorry, I thought I heard something..." She replied, reaching into her quiver...

"Archer... Cover's blown now! Charge!" Gryx Banetongue shouted as he vaulted over the rocks, falling into the stream.  
"CHARGE!" Kalla Baneblade echoed, drawing her gargantuan blade. Another soldier echoed the word until the entire warband was leaping out of position. Rigg merely sat behind the boulders, fury bubbling through his veins.  
"Dead Gods..." Rigg muttered, "Not without Riege!"

Riege heard the roar of her warband attacking. Her eyes widened and her ears dropped. She clenched her fangs, and began sprinting faster, pushing herself. "Not yet you idiots! You'll get yourselves killed!"

Elise was in the middle of knocking another arrow when she jumped, the roar of charr scaring her.  
Mac whipped his head around, his helmet clattering against his black, spiked armor.  
Benson drew a pistol from his belt as he saw a gigantic charr in black combat leather drop from a rocky ledge.  
Jonathan clutched a warhammer close to his chest, muttering a prayer to Balthazar for strength.  
Bernard merely watched, his shield loosely on one arm and a sword still in its scabbard.

The other Ebon Vanguard prepared.

Elanor merely smiled.


	3. II, Shadow Eyes

Chapter 2  
Shadow Eyes  
"No, no, no, no, _NO_! A thousand times _NO_!" Master Hodz shouted, slamming two clenched fists on a workbench. "It's all wrong!" He shouted even louder.  
"If you look at the transmagical enchantment buffer, the design is really quite stable!" Tikks tried explaining to a furious Master.  
"Your work is wrong! Look at this! _Limestone_ frame! Flimsy! Iron servos? Really? _IRON_!" Master Hodz slammed his little hands on the table again. "What are you, a _charr_?" He spat out, his large ears flopping.  
"The materials are temporary! If I had more funding-" Tikks attempted to combat his Master's fury.  
"_More_ funding? You have the nerve to ask for more funding with this _laughable_ design?"  
"Master, the External Processing Unit is revolutionary in design, it is far more efficient-"  
"NO!" Master Hodz stamped his foot as he began to waddle out of the lab. "We're Asura! Limestone and Iron! BAH! NO!"  
Tikks opened his mouth to speak before he was cut off again.  
"No more golems! None! Get this place cleaned up!" Master Hodz shouted as he left the small ziggurat laboratory. Tikks glared at his master as he left. Ignorant! Idiotic! Arrogant! Short-Sighted! Tikks flailed his arms in the air with a frustrated sigh.  
The golem was extraordinary. Standing at an incredible six feet, the machine's surface was covered in long and sturdy mirrors. The arcane lanterns that provided most of the light in Tikks' lab cast their own light upon themselves from the golem.  
Tikks glanced into the mirrors of his creation and looked upon himself. He stood not an inch over four feet, with a large, ovoid head, black dreadlocks, gigantic ears that looked like smooth wings, soft and grey skin, and large eyes. Eyes that dominated the majority of his face, they were amber eyes that scanned his reflection with great criticism. He shook his head.  
He was asura. He was proud of it... but it wasn't easy. Genius came so easily to others, but Tikks merely sat at his workbench and rolled his first invention ever around. A small glowing sphere rolled around as Tikks idly pawed at it, his mind deep in thought. A Transpsychoptic Ball. Invented to improve the thought process of individuals nearby it, but in the end it only ended up producing a soft enchanted glow. Tikks' first failure. He liked to think it helped him anyways as he idly batted it around the table.  
Tikks had helped invented the first ever Musician Golem, and it looked like the end of his career. He stood up and went over to the golem. He stared at its reflective surface one more time before walking under its thick legs and raising a hand. Ether softly twisted around the golem's back as a soft rose glow wafted off of a powerstone. The golem's innards began to churn. Its arms began to move upwards as it began to pantomime an empty violin in its arms.  
Tikks began to pace around his lab, listening to the grinding of gears and purring of machinery within the golem. He listened to the silent violin it played as he ran his hands across workbenches and desks, cluttered in tools and parts. After aching minutes of thoughts, Tikks came to a door. He slowly opened the door, softly grating against the stone floor and peered inside. He opened his mouth to speak, his voice echoing into the darkness of the room.

"Miima...?"

"Tikks?" A small voice echoed in return. It was petite and delicate, calling through the air as if searching for him. Tikks' heart sank as he entered the room, pushing the stone door of the closet open. His massive eyes spent minimal time adjusting in the sheer darkness, inky shades of black sharpening into view.  
A small asura sat on a large pit of cushions, surrounded by pure white matts. On each of the matts, tools and parts lay symmetrically and systematically placed. The smaller asura held a delicate powerstone in its hands, attaching small rings and mechanical pieces to it.  
"Tikks...?" She called again, her large ears perking up. Her head shifted back and forth, trying to locate the source of the sound in the darkness. Two large bandages covered each of her eyes, wrapped in a tight X pattern across her face.  
"I'm here, Miima." Tikks spoke as he entered the room, his feet softly patting against the stone of the laboratory.  
"Master Hodz didn't sound impressed with my golem," Miima spoke and sorrowfully frowned in the darkness. She set down her tools upon their white matts, perfectly placing them in order. She sighed. "Just like he didn't like the other four models..."  
"No, no, no... He's wrong. Your models are genius. Master Hodz is a clod," Tikks tried comforting her as he delicately took the powerstone from her hands and set it on the ground. "I just need to find a new master for us."  
Miima merely sat in the darkness, her hands twitching without something to do. She was rejected again. She and her brother, Tikks, were an odd pair. All alone in Rata Sum, the asuran capital, no remotely sane asura wanted to take a blind apprentice. On the other hand, Tikks' mind worked in very strange ways. Where other apprentices saw redundant enchantment barriers and base twelve Eternal Alchemic math, he saw... something different.  
Tikks saw gears. Tikks saw pistons. He saw steam chambers, engines, and servos. Miima thought that he was a genius in his own right, but not even the Great Colleges could accept either of them. Without a college or a mentor to call one's own, they would be reduced to manual labor... or worse. Tikks sighed.  
He lay a hand on her's and spoke to break the silence. "Come now," his words were hushed in the shadow, "Let's change your bandages." She nodded in response and slid to her feet, walking over mats of tools and parts to a armoire full of clothes and bandages. Tikks stumbled through the darkness after her, kicking a tool. She began to undo the ties of her blindfolds.  
Tikks fumbled around the black of the armoire, searching for where the bandages were kept. The two pieces of rough clough slid off of Miima's face and she reached over, effortlessly, to grab at her fresh bandages. Tikks began to feel even more uneasy as he looked at his sister's face. Her face was smooth and delicate, but dominated by her eyes... which were large, even by asuran standards. Her large eyes were black.  
Miima's pitch black eyes cut through the darkness. She handed Tikks the bandages and smiled, her eyes even darker than the shadows. He felt sorry for his sister. Born to never see light, only a world of black darkness. He frowned as he raised one of the dark bandages and began to wrap it over her eye.  
"It's okay, Tikks." Miima's small voice echoed, a hand placing itself on Tikks' shoulder. She knew her brother felt sorry for her. She knew he worried. He didn't have to... Miima understood her condition and lived. No, she thrived in the darkness. In the shadow where she saw nothing, her ideas blossomed.  
It was Miima that had conceived the first Assistant Golem, a small machine that could fold itself to a sphere. After being rejected for its limited intelligence, Miima and Tikks moved on. Making a suit of armor for asura, they called it Golem Armor. Their goal was something less inteligent. Master Hodz left the prototype in smoldering ashes.  
Design after invention, idea after prototype, Miima and Tikks failed again and again to produce any kind of invention to even remotely please the esteemed Master Hodz. _Master_ Hodz. A genius indeed, after all he had invented the very lanterns that lit labs all around Rata Sum. But... Tikks questioned if the glorious Lantern Master should be instructing them on golems.  
"I... I know." Tikks had spoken softly to his sister. "He just infuriates me."  
"He's our only chance. The only Master to take us up." Miima replied in earnesty.  
"To take _me_ up, you mean."  
Miima frowned. Her gaze pierced through her blindfolds.  
"But," Tikks looked over to her, his face brightening up as he spoke, "We'll get through this."  
Miima smiled.

But at that same moment, a curious creature had set foot in Rata Sum...

Gazes and stares from round eyes flocked around the bizarre creature that walked through the hot stone streets of Rata Sum. The creature itself did not mind, it was too busy staring at the city itself. Gigantic cubes that must've been miles in diameter floated above, each of them joined by bridges and bustling with activity. Small glowing gemstones floated in the air, casting a soft, enchanted light in the hot jungle shadows.  
Stone walkways were populated by hundreds of asura, some running errands, some were krewe members, some were children at play. Massive ten foot golems plodded about, their bodies resembled some kind of rounded stone with a flat base, their arms and legs floating around magic gems at their joints. The creature gawked at it all.  
Magic was thick in the air. The creature inhaled a deep breath, catching the scents of ether, stone, and the hot mist of the jungle. And... smoke? The creature turns its head over to see some kind of ziggurat with a blackened crater in its top. Smoke, indeed, poured from the blast wound. A giggle escaped from the creature's lips.  
But as much as the creature was fascinated with the world around it, many of the asura found themselves staring for a bit too long at the creature. A few children, however, were not afraid of the creature. Curious, two asuran kids barely standing two feet tall made their way over to it.  
Their large eyes scanned over the new sight. It looked like a she. It looked like a plant. They did not know what to make of it... This figure that had short, elegant, dark-green hair and... _skin_ the color of pale white flowers. It turned its gaze to them and gave a soft smile. It towered above them, about three times their height.  
"Hello, little ones!" A feminine voice had rang out from the creature's lips. One of the children took cover behind the other. The creature offered a smile. It extended a hand that appeared to be gloved. With that observation, the children began to distinguish the creature's clothes from its body.  
Giant leaves wrapped around what appeared to be its breasts and its arms, extending further to wrap about its neck, forming a kind of bright green scarf. Its belt appeared to be a bark-covered vine that coiled around its waist and hips, bearing many small, orb-like pouches. From the vine, long and sturdy leaves flowed downwards and twisted, binding themselves into trousers. Small wooden sandals protected the bottom of her feet, small, yet sturdy vines weaving over and around her toes and heel.  
The children looked into her face and it leaned over, bringing a beautiful smiling face within inches of their own. Her vibrant green eyes beamed with excitement. The more bold of the children stared with a dropped jaw. The other slightly shifted her head out from behind her friend.  
"What are you?" The bold child inquired with wide eyes, met with a wide smile on rose petal lips.  
"I'm a Sylvari." The plant woman replied, gleefully.  
"W-What's your name?" The shy child peeked out from behind her friend's shoulder.  
"Niorian. And your's?"


	4. III, Bloodbath

Chapter 3  
Bloodbath  
The roar of a Charr charge was deafening. The collective call of the charging warband was deafening, rattling the leaves of the trees, but perhaps what was more terrifying was the charr charge itself. As soon as they hit the ground, the ferocious warriors immediately began to assume a spearhead formation. The humans looked upon the aggressors with uncertainty, seeing the monsters attack.  
Haggaz hauled a thick tower shield off of his back, taking the point of the charge. The bulwark of tribal iron protecting his entire body. Howl and Grym joined him at his sides, readying their own shields, the rest of the warband falling in behind them. Their dewclaws thundered upon the stream, the icy chill of the water was no deterrent for their lust for battle.  
Lieutenant Bernard was a wily officer, however. With a single hand motion, the Ebon Vanguard had spread out, understanding their commander's silent order. Their uniforms of spiky black metal tumbled and sprinted into the forest, melding with the shadows of the trees. Only Elanor remained... A twisted grin like a scar across her face. She began to chuckle.  
Holding her walking stick, a sturdy, six foot branch of some elegant tree, Elanor cast her hand outwards, as if she had the power to stop such a force of primal rage. The most observant of the charr might've noticed strange glyphs and symbols beginning to etch themselves into the environment. Upon a nearby tree, sadistic green light began to carve out a symbol so complex to look upon it for too long would boggle the mind.  
The symbols chiseled themselves into trees, rocks, below the earth, and seemingly everywhere. The charr did not notice. But, one did. There was a crack of air, something that sounded like a blade of lightning striking the ground, and Elanor turned her head. It broke her concentration.  
"Duck, you fool! DUCK!" Hinter had called from an unknown location.  
She did. Curling her body down, something whipped by her head, a sharp whistle cut through the air and embedded itself in the ground. The Ebon Vanguard instantly knew the Charr's ace in the hole. A Sniper. They shifted in their hiding places, Elanor scrambling to get away. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack.  
The bullets rained down from an unseen lightning storm, the sound of its thunder rivaling the roar of the advancing force. Elanor dodged and ducked, throwing herself in random directions trying to avoid the hail of metal bullets. Crack! Crack! Two more shots fired off in rapid succession, the first missing and-  
The force of the impact was like her childhood days of getting shoved around by her brother. The paralyzing feeling that was pain surged from her ankle, causing her to trip and fumble into the dirt of the forest. She cried out in pain, but she had to keep moving. The shots rained down around her in a steady staccato.

"Damn it..." Kalc muttered, reaching for another clip of bullets. Smoke billowed from the hot metal of his rifle. He ripped out the empty magazine from his rifle and reached for a new one, slamming it in and cocking his rifle again. It was strange, Kalc was one of the best marksmen in the Black Citadel, the heart of Iron Legion.  
Yet, he only managed to land a single shot upon this unarmored human. An ankle shot. He had aimed for the head, lungs, stomach, thighs... Any bullet would've completely neutralized whatever threat this single human possessed. He humphed as he reloaded. It was like some unseen force was protecting her.

The charr continued to charge... They were through the stream now. They surged with the single mind to destroy their enemies, even if they could not see them. They would sniff them out like the dogs of war they were, and they would annihilate them. Their dewclaws pounded the soft earth like a stampede. They did not see hungry glyphs of insidious green begin to blur and vibrate.  
There was a new storm. The sound was nothing like powerful thunder of the sniper, but a reverberating shriek that tore through all its listeners' skulls. Rygak Banefang approached a symbol on the side of a rock, only a single moment of perplexion crossed his muzzle before the maddening symbol exploded. Green energy pierced through Rygak, leaving a limp body bathed in its own blood.  
"What was that!" Gryx called out, turning his head to the ear-shattering explosion. He received no answer as an arrow knocked itself in his skull.  
"Where are you, damn it!" Haggaz roared in frustration, his axe cleaving through underbrush. His frustration was met with the angry snap of a pistol, the bullet embedding itself within his flesh.  
Benson silently cursed as a charr with white fur, shoulder stained red, turned its wild gaze upon him. He leapt from behind a thick tree and darted for the next patch of cover.  
"I found you now, mouse!" Haggaz Banesoul growled, as he charged for the human. He charged through the thicket towards his prey before another human appeared, seemingly from nowhere, and lodged a sword through his eye. Haggaz felt the cold steel pierce him and there was a moment of panic, he gurgled as blood ran from the wounds, staining his fur crimson.  
Lieutenant Bernard tore his blade from the charr's skull. It was a swift kill, with minimal suffering. He had fought charr for nearly a decade, but he believed that all beasts deserved a shred of mercy. Bernard gave a signal to Elise and disappeared into the shadow of the forest.

Another shrieking explosion shook the battlefield as a glyph exploded. Elanor's wicked grin had never left her face. She had dragged herself beneath an ancient log, the scent of her blood in the air. She sighed and turned her head to examine her ankle. It was an excellent shot. The bullet had shattered her ankle, embedding itself in the bone. Under normal circumstances, the wound would've been crippling. Perhaps she would never be able to walk right again, especially if the wound went untreated. She shook her head. The pain was still intense. It clouded her mind, but she still had a few tricks left.  
She held a hand over the wound and began to grunt in pain. Her ankle began to vibrate, the agony ripping its way to her head, but she held her focus firm. Her face twisted in suffering, but she kept her gaze locked upon the wound. Suddenly, the bullet began to peek out of her boot. It vibrated still, and then it leapt out of the wound, flying into her open palm. Her fingers wrapped slowly around the bullet.  
The magic did not yet stop, however. Next, the blood around the bullet and the boot began to blur as well. It also vibrated slowly before coming to life, moving. Elanor's concentration was sharp now. The worst of the pain passed. Her blood crawled from the ground, from the bullet, and from her boot back into the hole in her ankle. Her bones began to slowly move.  
The fractures sealed. The flesh knitted itself together. The skin weaved over it all once more. With a gasp for air, her hand fell down and she let her head fall against the log, short blonde hair falling over her face. She merely sat still, grasping at the air around her. She merely sat still as she heard two more piercing explosions shred charr flesh. She merely sat still as a wicked smile curved her lips and her eyes slowly opened. They were an insidious, sadistic green.

Riege was still sprinting to the ambush point when she heard the shots of Kalc's rifle and the strange, ear-piercing explosions. She knew the humans had tricks. Whatever traps they had laid, her Warband had walked right into them without thought. Without guidance. Riege had damned any Gods that watched over the Humans. She damned the Dead Gods of the charr. She damned everything as her brothers and sisters, family and friends, were dying. And then she saw Rigg.  
"Rigg!" Riege Banerazor shouted in relief to at least see one soldier alive.  
Rigg Baneblood merely crouched behind a large rock formation, his gaze hollowly staring at the ground. He shuddered. It took him a few moments before he turned to Riege, which now padded up to him. His words wavered, as if he was seeing a saviour or a ghost.  
"R-Riege?"  
"Snap out of it, pup!" Riege backhanded Rigg's muzzle as she growled. "We're Blood Legion! Status Report, _now!_"  
It had worked. Rigg recoiled from the blow and stood, shaking himself. "Warband charged with the signal. I refused to move until you showed up, sir."  
"Burn me!" Riege snapped before pausing. She continued, calmly, "What're we facing?"  
"It's... horrible..." Rigg began to relapse into his sorry state before shaking his head. He spoke again, "They're some kind of magic bombs, sir! They flay the pelt and flesh off a soldier. The Vanguard are using guerilla tactics to try and get as many of us as they can with the bombs!"  
Riege spat. It was worse than she thought. She opened her maw and growled, "Alright, soldier! We're going in. Stay behind me and keep an eye out for whatever these bombs are! CHARGE!"

Grym Banefang grinned as his mace had crushed Mac's ribcage.  
Jonathan returned the favor with his warhammer.  
Elise unleashed pinpoint after pinpoint strikes with her arrows.  
Kalla Baneblade unleashed Elise's head.

Hinter frowned as beads of sweat rolled from under his helmet. This charr was monstrously strong, and skilled as well. A creature with night-black fur that swept over its eyes, this charr wielded a large shield and a wicked looking dagger. He had laughed inwardly at the combination before, but now, when he fought for his life, he understood the deadly combination.  
Normally, what a human dagger-wielder lacked in reach and weight, the long and muscular arm of the charr made up for. Hinter slashed at Howl Banetail's knee, but the blow was intercepted by the hard steel of the charr's shield. Howl laughed in the thrill of battle, his notched longknife darting out like a serpent. Hinter swayed to one side, the bite of the blade striking air before returning to the safety of the shield. Another strike from the longknife came, an underhanded slash to a vulnerable point in Hinter's armor. The armpit.  
Hinter danced out of the way and tried to bring his sword down on the charr's thick arm, but his stroke was met by the weight of the beast's shield shoving him away. Hinter fell backward on his rear, his blade landing a foot away from him. He reached for the blade, but he felt the crushing grip of a paw grasping his foot. He began to shout in panic as he was dragged backwards and lifted, the monster laughing as it embedded its blade in his heart. The last laugh, however, was not Howl's.  
When the charr set the body down, he had not imagined what would happen next. Within seconds, it moved. It twitched. Howl furrowed his black brow as he lunged at the corpse, driving his longknife into the human's spine. The blade pierced through black armor, thrusting itself in still hot flesh. Blood oozed from the wounds as Hinter suddenly stood up, spasming, and pulled a knife from his belt.  
Howl growled as he jabbed his blade into the human's head, the strike shredding through its helmet. He growled again in frustration as he wrenched his blade free of the human's skull and drove it again through its neck. Consumed with anger, he thrusted and stabbed, slashed and shredded, and did not notice when Hinter brought his small dagger into Howl's still-living throat.

Elanor continued her sadistic enjoyment as she watched the body of Hinter kill the black charr. The beast was confused, its expression questioned how this could be. It stabbed one last time at the dead body before it too, collapsed. Elanor let her hands drop and the body of Hinter dropped as well. She chuckled a little bit, before gasping for air once more. It took a great effort to puppet the newly dead.

"STAY DEAD!" Kalla Baneblade shouted as she hacked at the corpse of Elise, each blow of her greatsword freeing chunks of flesh from the human's body. In a single moment of rage, Kalla grasped her massive blade with both hands and hewed Elise's body in half, the strike splitting her left half from her right. The body fell, lying limp on the ground. Kalla thrusted her blade into the body one final time before a grin of triumph pressed its way onto her muzzle.

Elanor swayed her arms and body in a trace, hidden in her roost. Where her companions had fallen, she puppeted their bodies to fight on. She pictured the necrotic symbols in her mind and swayed her arms as she conducted the slow dirge of death. This is what she signed up for. An opportunity to practice her necrotic arts in the field. Her magic was turning the tide of the battle.

The charr did not fare well against the new tactics. The risen dead fought on, the humans would fight until they could move no more. The charr roared, their weapons falling upon still hot and still bloody flesh. They knew something foul was at play, but what could they do? The fierce warriors turned their bloodlust into raw will to survive.

Faster. Riege sprinted through the cold stream, her large heart beating faster. Faster. She had to move, to salvage whatever mess her warband had gotten themselves into. She ran faster, adrenaline flooding her veins. She ran faster, her paw moving to her scabbard. Her claws gripped the wrapped leather handle of her weapon as her legs ran faster. Faster.

Crack! A blast thundered out through the forest. Kalc gnashed his fangs. Crack! Crack! No matter how much lead he emptied into these humans, they fought on. They ripped apart Fezz and Loryk, and fought on still. His mind raced as he fired two more shots. Could it be puppetry? Crack! Machinery of some kind? Crack! No. Humans disliked machines. It had to be magic. Crack! It had to be that human female, the mage. Click.  
Kalc lowered his rifle as yet another magazine of ammunition ran out. He pulled it out and sighed... Standing, he got a better look at the skirmish. Charr blood wet the earth while human corpses fought on. He had made a bad call. He should've waited, avoided them, observed longer, anything but this. He then felt a stab of pain between his ribs. His good eye bulged.

"Got him!" Kaitlyn laughed, reloading her crossbow. She jumped from the tree branches and landed on the ground with a soft grunt. Sprinting through the trees and brush, finding herself in a clearing by the stream. Just then, she saw a charr. She smiled, priming her crossbow.  
The creature was rather beautiful, Kaitlyn mused. It had fur the color of the flamegrass, native to Ascalon. It had four elegant horns that swept backwards, but it was all nothing compared to its eyes... Its eyes pierced through her. They shone bright green, primal and ferocious. They burned bright like some supernatural fire.

It's almost a shame to put this beast down...

…Riege had thought. She charged towards the human and closed the gap with ease. The creature raised a crossbow at her, but she merely snickered. Easy prey. By the time the bolt fired, it was too late. Riege had leaned down, crouching onto all fours. The bolt whipped by her, definitely aimed at her head, and she pounced.  
Mid air, her paw ripped out a long blade that blocked out the sun's light. It reached over five feet in length; yet every inch of its wicked edge was covered in large fang-like barbs. The sword whistled as it sliced cleanly through the wind, and the human let out a scream as the black blade sank its fangs into its prey.  
The slash tore through the human's leather and black plated armor, biting into its neck and freeing a fountain of blood. Riege did not stop. She slashed the blade into the air, the blood of its victim leaving its cold edge. She continued and sprinted through the forest, looking for more of her warband... or more enemies.


	5. IV, Explosion

Chapter 4  
Explosion  
Tikks grabbed his multihex spanner and tore off the arm of the beautiful golem. The powerstone whined as they were severed, and the arm groaned as it struck the ground of the lab with great force. Tikks looked upon the arm sorrowfully and closed his eyes. He sighed heavily, the stress of Master Hodz weighed like a clamp on his chest.  
With the exhale, Tikks resumed his work dismantling the golem. His tools shredded through the stone and mirrors, the scratching hiss and whine of sparks cried out against him. They begged him not to. They scolded him. They cried as they died. Tikks did as well.  
Another season, another failure. Another project, another failure. Tikks gritted his fangs as he sawed and cut through his sister's blueprint and his design. It hurt to deconstruct their beloved creation, just like it hurt to dismantle the past inventions.  
He listened to the cries of the sparks. The whispers of the deactivated powerstones. The sobs and promises of the pieces as they faded into silence. Inside, he wept with them. On the outside, he worked like a machine himself. As much as it hurt to destroy their creation, he could not bear to see his sister forced into manual labor... or worse.  
These thoughts brought no comfort to Tikks. They brought no joy, or solace. The only respite Tikks received from these thoughts was pass of time. He sighed as he set down his tools before a dismantled golem. Over a dozen hours had passed, and he grabbed a melon as he passed it.  
Biting into the bittersweet fruit, he made his way into Miima's room.  
"Tikks?" Miima perked her ears.  
"I'm here, Miima." Tikks spoke somberly, in custom.  
He entered the room slowly, closing the thin stone door behind him. The darkness encompassed Tikks, and he waited for his eyes to adjust. Miima spun her wrench and flexed her hand, spinning an enchantment. The ether flowed through the air, wrapping itself around the bit of machinery. Miima could see it in the darkness.  
Ether was thick in the air of Rata Sum. Magic poured from the gigantic stones that floated all around the incredible city, filling the air with a crisp, energetic sensation amid the jungle Miima manipulated the energy, it fluctuated in the air. It had the appearance of heated air, or a desert mirage. The enchantment coiled itself around the machinery, the air fluctuating and moving in place.  
Miima turned the piece over and began to enchant the other side. She wove simple enchantments about her work, preparing pieces for their next project. She looked away from her work for a simple moment to gaze upon Tikks through her bandages.  
"I have an idea. What if it make a maintainance gol-" Miima spoke eagerly as she worked, but Tikks cut her off.  
"Miima, no!" Tikks burst, becoming quiet afterwards. Miima stopped working. There was silence. Tikks spoke again, calmly, "I'm sorry. We can't make anymore golems."  
"But... if we just make the right one, one that no one has seen before, it should be alright... He'll be impressed, right?" She spoke hopefully, her ears drooping.  
"Miima... Master Hodz told us, 'no more.'"  
Miima turned her gaze to the floor. She set down the eloquently crafted bundle of machinery, pausing to think. Tikks sighed, his heart sinking. He padded up to his sister, regretting being harsh to her. He picked up a powerstone off of the floor, and sat beside her.  
"Why don't we work on powerstones? Everyone needs powerstones." Tikks tried to smile, handing her the large violet gem. He knew she hated the idea. She was an artisan, and her designs were made to be beautiful. She would never willingly agree to work with designing the next magic battery.  
She shook her head, sighing. "Okay," she said, flatly. Tikks cringed inwardly, but he put on a smile for his sister. He set a hand on the powerstone, leaning close to her. "We'll get through this, okay?" Tikks spoke gingerly.  
Miima saw how hard he tried and she smiled, nodding. She opened her lips to speak,  
"Oka-"  
"TIKKS!" A voice boomed through the laboratory, accompanied by the sound of stomping feet. "TIKKS, BY THE ALCHEMY, WHERE ARE YOU?"  
Tikks clutched his sister for a brief moment before hurrying out of the storage closet. He saw Master Hodz dressed in his academic finery, an elegant coat and trousers dyed in the customary colors of the asura. Green, teal, pink, ran in basic and industrial patterns on his glothes, trimmed in gold. Hodz shot a venomous gaze towards Tikks. "Tikks, you imbecile! I thought I told you to have this place cleaned up!"  
Tikks fought down his anger and responded calmly to his master. "Master, I was dismantling the golem. It went incredibly fast, all things considered-"  
"Did you _consider_ that I told you to clean this place up?" Master Hodz spat out his words like hot steel.  
"Master, you've only given me a day, we've lived here for years!"  
"Enough!" Master Hodz snapped. "I don't care if you inherited this lab from your parents, they're gone and this lab is in Power District authority. _My_ authority!" Hodz rabbled on, and Tikks was filled with dread. He pleaded to the Eternal Alchemy.  
"I did your dear ol' creators a _favor_ when I took you in. You haven't given me _one_ decent invention that proves you are of even _remote_ value! No krewe wants you! No College wants you! I have news for you, _Tikks_." Hodz squinted his eyes with unrelenting spite. A grim smile cut its way across Master Hodz' face.  
"KLEG!" He shouted to the entrance of the lab. "Get down here _immediately_!"  
Within seconds, a smaller asura produced himself from the entrance of the lab, bounding down the stairs. He waddled up to the side of Master Hodz and looked up at him. Tikks' jaw dropped. Small. Pathetic. Bald. Sniveling. _Dumb_. This was Tikks' replacement. This was Miima's replacement.  
"Kleg! Introduce yourself!" Master Hodz growled to the smaller asura. Kleg cowered before him, turning to Tikks and offering a deep bow.  
"I-I am... K-Kleg, Genius-In-Training and..." Kleg stuttered out in a whiny voice. He looked to Hodz, which returned a glare. His eyes were like blazing coals. Kleg gulped and finished, "...Apprentice to Master Hodz."

Tikks was defeated. Hodz knew it. But he didn't account for what happened next. Tikks leaned over and grabbed a socket spanner. He charged towards Hodz and tackled him with the tool, mounting him.  
"YOU DERANGED IMBECILE!" Tikks shouted with uncontained fury and he brought down the tool on Former-Master Hodz. The older asura flailed under the assault, jibbering as he attempted to shield himself from the rain of blows.  
"YOU IGNORAMUS!" Tikks struck again, his insults bolstering his strength. "You don't get it, DO YOU? You idiotic cretin! You asinine... Fatuous... DAFT! MORON!" Tikks followed blow after blow, insult after insult. Kleg's jaw dropped.  
"H-Hey! Stop that!" Kleg padded up to Tikks before receiving a swift strike to his jaw. The spanner cracked against the younger asura as he spun backwards, some blood and a tooth flying with him. Tikks was enraged.  
Stupid. Dunce. Dull-Brained. Feeble-Minded. Fool. Tikks was not a _genius_, but he certainly had a genius' colorful vocabulary for insulting the one man he hated most in this world. Inane. Witless. Simpleton. Twit. Each insult that sparked in Tikks' mind formed on his lips and he struck with fury.

"Tikks!"

He stopped. He turned around, his spanner bloody. His clothes bloody. Miima stood behind him, her eyes covered by her hands. She was in pain. Tikks dropped the tool and stood, running to her. She had seen what he had done.

Kleg had finally recovered from the blow, looking around to see the crazed, bloody man embracing a smaller girl. She had bandages over her eyes and she buried her face in his chest. Kleg looked around for Master Hodz, and found him.  
The body of Hodz twitched and spasmed, his fine clothes stained red. His arms and head bore bloody bruises. Kleg crawled over to his master and looked at him. Panic filled his chest. He ran out of the lab, and started screaming for help.

Miima cried. She shook. She buried herself in her brother's chest. Tikks could not believe what had happened. He could not believe what he had done. He heard the ragged breath and twitching of Hodz... But all he could think about was his sister.  
"Shhh, shhh... Miima, shhh..." He spoke comfortingly, brushing the back of her long hair. She clutched him desperately, holding him. It was a moment Tikks had never experienced in his life. Not since their parents died. Not since she held him then.  
Tikks stopped. All he could do was hold her. She clutched him tightly, the tears wetting her bandages. After a long time, she spoke.  
"Promise me..." her words whispered in between sobs. "...Promise me you'll never do it again..."  
Tikks nodded, squeezing her. "Never again, Miima." There was a long pause between the two of them before Tikks spoke again.  
"Pack your things, Miima. We have to go."

In a land of shadows, a soft mist of light shone through the blackness. It glowed a gentle light, providing illumination to the woman as she stood in the center. The mist was too thick to see through, and the shadows too thick to see beyond as well. She looked about her. She saw darkness above her, darkness around her, darkness as far as the eye could see.  
Clouds of inky black shifted in their places, a forest of night caged her. Winds of black blew through the clouded realm. All around her was shadow. She was sacred. She looked down to the mist, the shape of puffy white clouds at sunset. They shone sunbeams into the darkness, and grew at her feet. They grew to swallow her.  
She flailed about in strange place, her fear becoming vocal. The light swelled and swallow more of her, and she reached into the darkness. With a shriek, thousands of crows burst from light and flew upwards. They swirled and spiraled as the unending pillar of feathers and squawks rose upwards.  
Niorian reached for them. She held her hand up and grabbed onto the crows, but they hissed and shredded her hand. She cried out, tears forming in her eyes, and she began falling. Falling into the light. She could not see, but only feel the wind race past her. She could feel it tear at her and strip her leafy garb away. She fell.  
The wind tore the air from her lungs and ripped more of her sap from her wounds. She was afraid. She knew she was going to die. She plummeted down, blindly, into an abyss of white. A dragon roared. Valleys rose from the light. Mountains jutted from the valleys, and rivers ripped through the land. She saw land, beautiful land. She was flying. Flying down.  
Niorian smiled as she hit the ground.

She smiled as she awoke from her dream again.

Niorian stood from her rest and looked around the jungle. She stretched her muscles, brushing her leafy hair from her eyes. She opened her bright green eyes and looked around the foliage to which her camp blended in with.  
"Still the late riser." A male sylvari spoke as he scratched his pen on a piece of parchment. Niorian turned around and smiled at him.  
"Not all of us can be born at dusk, Belao." She smiled as she made her way over to her tent, grabbing a vine-and-bark-made jug. She drank the sweet nectar from it and tied one of the vines around her waist to it. Belao smiled.  
"Going back to the city?" He inquired and set down his pen. He stood, his own robe made of leaves wrapped around him, forming robe, cloak, and hood. His skin was dark green, bits of spiky, violet flower petals peeked out from under his hood, accenting his already deep purple eyes.  
"There is plenty more to explore than the local fauna and ruins, Belao!" Niorian laughed, the sound was sweet and musical, like the trill of a flute. Belao shrugged and tilted his head.  
"Just be sure to stay out of trouble, alright? Bring me back anything you find, too."  
Niorian smiled wide and nodded before turning her head. She heard some kind of alarm from the city. Belao became concerned.  
"I'll investigate." Niorian spoke before bounding off into the jungle.


	6. V, Twin Blades

Chapter 5  
Twin Blades  
_Rrrrraaaaaaaggghhhhh!_  
Riege let out war cry that shook the brush of the forest, battering the eardrums of the combatants that fought on, unseen. Her black sword crashed down upon Lieutenant Bernard's shield, and he grunted under the force of the impact. The brutal blade rose into the air for another strike, and Bernard saw his chance.  
He darted forwards, the tip of his longsword flying towards the underarm of the monstrous charr. This had to be their leader. The creature was incredibly strong, and the only thing charr listened to was strength. Killing this beast would certainly be the final stroke in winning this skirmish.  
The longsword was too slow, however. Riege spread her stance and leaned to the side. Bernard was amazed only for a second before Riege carried her momentum and brought her sword in a circle. The teeth of the sword whistled as they sliced the air, Bernard bracing his shield for the impact.  
Within the last second, Bernard had blocked the attack; however he still was punished for his folly. Riege's arm bulged with muscle under her fur, sending Bernard reeling with the attack. He flew several feet before crashing into the mud on the forest floor. Bernard readied himself as fast as he could, but there was no mercy.  
Riege charged, roaring with battle fury. Her heart raced with adrenaline, the blood flooding her body with energy. Her breathing technique was flawless. She grabbed her sword with both hands and threw her weight into the overhead strike. A strike filled with the fury of her slain family.

Bernard had only a brief moment, and he seized it. In the thick mud, he threw his weight to the side, flopping in the wet earth. A risk, but one he had to take. The charr struck like lightning, and the blow echoed like thunder. Riege hoisted her blade from the wet mud, soggy earth staining her saffron fur.  
This bastard human had to be their leader. He was a wily one, using trickery and last minute tactics to prolong the fight. Riege spat. He was smart because he fought without honor. He fought like Ash Legion. Something clicked in Riege's mind.  
"Well, _human!_You seem to lack the honor of your people!" Riege shouted as she swung her sword through the air, splattering mud about the forest.

Bernard sneered. He kept his combat stance, even though his black leather and metal uniform was covered in wet mud. He wasn't surprised that the charr started to talk. He had survived for a decade. The charr was trying to lower his guard, make him fight with his head and not his gut.  
"If you want to fight an honorable foe, then you'll have to find the Seraph. The Ebon Vanguard fight to _kill_ you beasts." Bernard taunted the creature, playing along with the head games. His body was primed, ready to move at a second's notice.

Riege had expected such an answer. Typical for a human, responding with wits instead of guts. "So... who's name do I carve in the mud when I take off that jabbering head of your's?"  
"Lieutenant Bernard Karlile. And what name have you given yourself, mongrel?"  
Riege growled, "Sergeant Riege Banerazor... Blood Legion."  
Bernard was puzzled. Sergeant... and female? If this monster wasn't the pack leader, than who was? This battle was far from over.

"Time to die, mouse!" Riege roared as she leapt into the air, pouncing upon Bernard. Her blade trailed behind her, ready to slit a notch into the human's side. The Vanguard had seen this coming and he dashed to meet the charr. He had hoped to kill his foe with superior mobility.  
The charr had reach and flexibility... strength as well. The charr was also large, which Bernard hope to take advantage of. Riege crashed against the mud, splattering it about. Bernard, on the other hand, had leapt past Riege and pivoted on his heel, thrusting his blade into her back. He bit his lip as he hoped to end this fight quickly.  
Bernard cried out as he was blinded, mud flung into the visor of his helm. He stabbed blindly, Riege pressing a smile onto her muzzle. She leaned to one side, his thrust causing him to lean in too far. This human had such arrogance... Thinking he could slaughter her warband without punishment.  
Bernard tried shaking his head behind his shield, trying to get the wet mud out of his eyes. He had to act fast, he could already hear the sloshing of mud as the charr moved. He threw himself to the right in an act of faith, praying to Dwayna for mercy. He felt pain.  
The man crashed into a tree, a wicked gash torn through his boot. Blood spewed from his calf, and ragged breaths scratched in and out of his mouth. He had to act fast. He took his blade and sliced through the straps that held his spiked helm to his head.  
Wiping his eyes as fast as he could, he turned himself to see Riege's blade in mid air. Instinct took over. He raised his sword and shield, the power of the charr's attack crushing him onto his knees. Bernard acted in desperation. He acted in survival.

He thrust out his sword into the beast's underbelly, smiling as he broke through his foe's line of defense. With a whistle, Bernard heard a juicy slice. He erupted in pain, his sword arm flopping downwards. Absolute agony pulsed from his arm as he looked on in horror. Riege stared coldly.  
A second blade of dark steel tore through the human's arm, sawing over half of the muscle and sinew off the forearm. Bernard let out a second scream of suffering as his barely attached arm gush blood, the flesh cut jaggedly and uneven. Riege swung her offhand blade, the blood sliding off of it.  
She glared at the human. He had ragged brown hair that fell over mud-plastered eyes. A grey and ash beard rolled off of his face, bits of saliva dripping into it as the man wailed. A decade of fighting charr. Riege put her muddy dewclaw on his dirty uniform and pressed him still.  
She brought both of her blades through the suffering man's head.

Elanor had watched this new charr dispatch Lt. Bore-nard. She was impressed, the monster fought with such ferocity... It was graceful. Beauty through brutality. Elanor had placed an entire minefield of glyphs around her nest. The mental tension from maintaining the large amount of magic was giving her a splitting headache... But she wanted a test.  
Elanor stood on a mossy rock, letting her long walking stick drape against her shoulder. A cruel smirk spread across her face, her green eyes wide with manic entertainment. She spread her hands and clapped. The black leather made a cupped thud, and she caught the attention of the charr immediately.

Riege whipped her head about, her ears perking towards the sound. All of Riege's anger immediately burst into her body, her heart beating faster in her chest. Her breaths became shallow inhalations, and growling exhalations.  
The mage. The real culprit for the death of her friends. Riege snarled, her claws wrapping tightly around the leather grips of her twin swords. "_You!_" Riege bellowed, turning the word into a curse.

Elanor laughed heartily. Oh, had she gotten the charr's attention. They always were a vengeful bunch, and especially so when angered. Elanor called out to the charr, wanting to press her chances and see how much she could enrage the beast.  
"Oh, goodness!" She cried out in a childish voice. "That's quite a mess you made there, kitten! I hope you clean it up! Maybe lick that mud and blood from your fur!" A massive grin took hold of Elanor's face.

Riege began to sprint through the mud towards this human. The blood of her warband called out to her, demanding her to shred this disgusting mouse into pieces. She began to growl as she quickly closed the cap, her fur growing matted and hard with blood and mud. Honor demanded the death of this human.

Elanor feigned shock and fear. She cried out as she turned heel and began to run deeper into the forest, deeper into the mountains. Every dozen paces, she could feel the presence of another glyph. And another. And another. The battle was lost, Elanor knew that. It didn't matter which side had a victor.  
What mattered to her was having fun. Her Blood Marks tingled as she passed them, softly glowing before fading into their dull, pulsating glow. As a child, Elanor had played games of Cat and Mouse in Kryta. She always wondered what it would be like to have the mouse hunt the cat. And now, she had her chance. With a mountainside full of glyphs and a bloodthirsty charr, she was going to have a blast. Literally.

Riege was blinded by fury. Her black leather armor was wet with the blood of her foes, but she would wash it in this human's blood. Her blades grew thirsty in her paws, and she ran towards the human. She followed the mouse's scent, but... she felt wrong. Something loomed in the air, and Riege stopped.  
She spat, cursing her caution. She should've charged for that human to scatter her bones to the charr lands, but something was not right. A stupid warrior was a dead warrior, and she damned herself for looking around. This was too simple.  
This was the mage, the same human that had laid down the strange magical bombs and killed a majority of her warband. It was common sense that the human had laid a trail of explosives in its wake, and expected Riege to walk through them. Riege growled to herself as she flourished her midnight swords, and began to give chase.

Justice would be done. Bloody, brutal, _charr_ justice.


	7. VI, Gate's Toll

Chapter 6**  
**Gate's Toll****

"Come on, Miima! You can't catch me!" A little asura laughed as he bounded around the open stone courtyards of Rata Sum. The great stone walkways were wet and slick with the rain of a great jungle storm, freshly passed. Tikks' laughter echoed his footsteps.**  
"**I... I'll get you!" A very small Miima declared. A black wrap over her eyes, she chased after her older brother in the cooled stones of the city. Her little limbs flailing as she ran after him, the two's joy was uncontained. "I'm gonna get you!"**  
"**Nyaaah! You can't catch me!" Tikks teased as he continued to laugh and giggle, lost in the small world of their simple game.**  
"**No fair, Tikks! You're bigger!" Miima called as she fumbled around in the light, her eyes adjusting to the overwhelming brightness of the grey sky.****

"So what! You're smaller! That means you're faster, dummy!"**  
"**I'm not a dummy! Take that back." Miima cried out.**  
"**Only if you get me!" Tikks giggled as he ran off again.**  
"**What! Grrr... I'll get you alright!"****

The two were at it again, chasing each other through the bustling city of magic. The air was absolutely electric, the tingle of ether amplified by the moisture of the hot jungle rain. Slowly, the city came back to life. Krewes that preferred dryness came out from their labs, the city beginning to pulse to live once more.**  
"**Ow!" Miima cried. She slipped on the sleek stones and crashed on her arm. Tikks stopped laughing, and immediately barreled towards his sister.**  
"**Are you okay?" He asked, concern all over his face.**  
**Miima frowned, tears beginning to form beneath her bandage. She sniffled and patted them into the bandage. "I'm fine, stupid! It's your fault anyways!"**  
**Tikks smiled. All he did was give his sister a big hug and she couldn't pretend to be mad. She hugged him back, comfort washing over her. When they pulled back, Tikks saw Miima's innocent face. She reached out and touched his nose.**  
"**Got you."****

Got you. Tikks shook his head, now in the present. Got you. His mind felt cloudy, his skull feeling soft. Got you. Tikks was running... Yes, he was running. Running with Miima. Why did he stop? He was on the ground, his head swimming, and he broke free of the illusions.**  
**Trapped in his own memories, Tikks snapped free from the mindlock an asuran peacekeeper had laid upon him. He was running. Placing his four fingers on the ground, he rose. His mind began to feel more clear, the alarms of the city ringing in his ears, peacekeeper golems and mages bustling to contain him.**  
**He had no choice. Taking off from the ground, Tikks began to ran. He had to catch up to Miima. He just knew that she could've fought her way through the illusions. He just knew that she made it outside... She had to.**  
"**By the Council, _stop!_**" **A peacekeeper mage had shouted, before speaking a cantrip and raising a hand, ether billowing from the preparing spell. Tikks noticed the mage, fortunately, and recognized the spell. While Tikks had no affinity for magic, that did not stop Hodz from sending him to study it.**  
**The stance. The words. The very pattern of the ether. It was an earth magic spell, and it certainly wasn't one to command the ground to attack. That meant the mage was either creating a chasm, or a stone prison. Such was a favored method of capture in Rata Sum, a city made of stone.**  
**Tikks jumped into the air, leaping as far as his small legs could take him. Below his feet he saw the hands of stone form and reach up to snatch him and hold him down, but they were too slow. Tikks had the advantage. He landed on the ground with a soft clap, and ran.**  
"**H-A-L-T." A golem turned around, a massive tombstone-shaped creation of carved rock and gems. Tikks paid the creation no heed, raising his hand and forming a simple enchantment. He knew peacekeeper golems in and out. He was a golemancer by training. With a simple enchantment, he disconnected the golem's powerstone eye from the rest of its enchantment network.

"H-A-L-T!" The creation growled briefly before flailing about, its massive stone arms whirling around it. A vortex of destruction, the golem had done exactly what Tikks had hoped. The machination crashed into pylon, the crystal shattering. Tikks continued running for the massive gate of Rata Sum.

Tikks ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He ran for Miima. At last, the final obstacle had come into sight. The main gate. Standing over fourty feet tall, the huge gate was manned by all kinds of asura, all of which were closing the gate. Tikks had to hurry.**  
**Cries of outburst volleyed between asura, all of which worked to detain this rogue inventor. They could not seem to stop him, their spells failing, and their golems useless. They had gotten desperate and it showed. Tikks was not surprised when he saw a norn blocking the path to the gate. Norn. Gigantic, grizzly, rippling with muscle, they were humans' bigger and stronger cousins from the harshest north lands.**  
**This norn chuckled as he unsheathed an axe that shocked Tikks. The entirety of the weapon was over twice Tikk's height, but the blade of the axe was easily as big as himself. The norn chuckled, clad only in leather trousers amid the jungle heat. It was obvious the asura had hired this bully to stop Tikks... dead or alive.**  
**It didn't matter. Dead or alive. Miima was outside those gates, free. In the jungle. Tikks was going to see her, no matter what. Nothing had seperated them in the past. Not Hodz. Not the Colleges. Not even the blast that killed their parents. Tikks charged towards the gate with reckless abandon. He was getting through this gate.**  
**He could feel the ether stiffen in the air. Spells being woven in all directions, golems beginning to make their way to detaining him... and the norn. The norn with skin tanned the color of earthy stone. Tikks was going to make it through this. He was going to see his sister. He reached into his sachel at his side and pulled out small pistol.****

The norn raised an eyebrow, his black beard braided in elegant patterns blowing in the wind. The mages unleashed their spells, one after another in attempt to stop this lone, single, young asura. Pillars of rock. Circles of electricity. Blasts of wind. Walls of flame. Prisons of ice. Illusionary shackles. Imagined weight. Anything.**  
**It all was naught. Tikks bounded around the obstacles like a child in a race. The prisons were nothing to him. When they went up, he simply was not there. He predicted and moved past every single spell, the illusions holding to grasp on his mind. Enchantments to deter his approach merely sloughed off of him.

The norn licked his lips. He would have his shot at glory today, dealing the killing blow to the little asura who could not be captured. He wrapped one had firmly around his great axe and raised it with both hands, preparing to strike.

Tikks reached into his satchel once more and produced a single large pellet. He loaded it into the basic pistol, never stopping his mad dash. Adrenaline flooded his heart, and he felt as if he would break down and empty his stomach at any given moment, but he had to press on. One last obstacle. One last moron blocking him and Miima.

Tikks raised his pistol and the norn charged, letting a battle cry rip from his beard. _Kthum._The pellet flew out of the pistol and hit the norn square in the chest. With a grunt, the norn was not even stifled, charging with a bloody hole in his chest.

But Tikks did not relent. The norn, also filled with the power of the moment, charged, ignoring the pain of what strange bullet imbedded itself in his chest. He ignored the pain as it grew. Grew larger. Then suddenly, he could not lift his axe. He tried running, but the pain was too great. He cried out in absolute agony as he felt the flesh and muscle of his chest being _pushed_apart.**  
**The norn looked down. Where a small bullet wound had been, now mechanical arms pressed their way outwards, pushing, ripping, and spreading the wound in his chest. He looked on in horror as the powerstone head of a miniature mechanical apparition popped out of his chest and looked at him innocently. He gaped as he felt it puncture his heart and lungs.****

Tikks ran by the dying man. He felt little remorse for the horror that he had done. He had packed away Miima's assistant golem into a compact format and kept it away just for this reason. For life or death, because being away from Miima was death to him. Tikks ran through the gate and smiled as he bounded into the steam of the jungle.**  
**He smiled as he shouted for his sister, dropping his satchel. He laughed as he called out for her. And then it struck him. The real illusion.****

Miima blinked her eyes somberly as she heard the explosion of a pylon. The resulting area was sapped of magic, her head was hazy. She stood as fast as she could, wobbling to and fro. Tikks. Where was Tikks? She began to panic, clutching the straps of her bags tightly.**  
**They had a plan. They would run for the main gate, disrupting the golems and sector pylons along the way. Where was Tikks? Had he gone off without her? Her head was soft and spinning, and she could hardly make sense of anything. She was confused.**  
"**Tikks...?" She called out, her eyes squinting beneath her bandages. The brightness of day scalded her eyes. She could hardly see. Her heart pounded in her chest. "Tikks!" She cried louder, stumbling around the city, desperately searching.****

"_Miima!_" Tikks let his sister's name shred through the commotion of the forest, and collapsed. His head snapped and pulsated, and then darkness consumed all.****

Stepping from the shadow of the jungle, Niorian approached the fallen asura. She looked around, pondering the situation only for a moment before moving closer to the asura. The inspected him. Dark grey skin. Brown dreadlocks. dark brown workshop clothes, covered with scorch marks. She saw the tale of this poor creature by his appearance and by the pain in his voice.**  
**Niorian crouched low and began to search the asura's pockets. She then began to search his bags for anything of interest and found mostly mundane things. Tools. Food. Gun. But most importantly, his pack produced a small cracked ++orb, roughly two inches in diameter. It radiated a violet light and she gaped in awe at the stone.**  
**She could not fathom it. It was strange to her. New. She gazed into it before bringing herself back to reality, and refusing the stone. She placed the asura's belongings back where she found them and she knew of his tale. She knew of his person, of his struggles.**  
**Shaking her head, Niorian began to walk among the shadows and stalk away, closer to the city.****

"...miima..."****

Niorian jumped, landing in a crouching position. Her hand was on the ground and her body poised to spring away at a moment's notice. She eyed the asura warily and began to approach it again.

"...miima..."

****Nioran relaxed only slightly as she approached the asura once again. This "miima." This term... word. She had never heard it before in asuran dialect. Perhaps it was the strange orb that she found in his pocket? She did not know.**  
**Against her better judgement, Niorian looked around and made a decision. She snatched up the asura and cradled him in her arms, dashing into the jungle. Shortly after, more asura arrived. When the peacekeepers scoured the jungle, they only found shadows. The rogue inventor had vanished into thin air.


	8. News!

Hi, just dropping in to say that The Splintered Journey and I have moved to Project FOUNDATION, an unofficial Guild Wars 2 artistic project dedicated to excellence. If you'd like to read more of The Splintered Journey or other excellent Guild Wars 2 fiction, art, or music, please stop by (www dot foundation-hub dot org) and subscribe! We also have our forums up and ready at (forums dot foundation-hub dot org)! We accept all kinds of Guild Wars 2 fan submissions and registrations to join the FOUNDATION krewe. Thanks for your time!

_~Tsath_


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